The Labour Codes Navigator

The labour Codes,
the way they actually apply.

Profile your establishment once. See every duty across all four Codes — weighted, sourced, free.

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Scroll to the four Codes

The statute · 29 laws → 4 Codes

Four Codes. Twenty-nine laws, folded in.

29 → 4
Central Acts consolidated
21 Nov 2025
Codes in force
08 May 2026
Central Rules notified
1 letter
Appointment letter now mandatory

Ring = laws absorbed, scaled to the largest (OSH, 13)

Code 01 · 2019 · Act 29 of 2019

Code on Wages

Minimum Wages · Payment of Wages · Bonus · Equal Remuneration

All staff
Universal — no wage ceiling
50%
Cap on total deductions
2 days
Final settlement on exit
  • The 50% rule — allowances above half of pay are deemed wages, widening the PF, gratuity and bonus base.Sec 2(y)
  • National floor wage sets a baseline no State can drop below.Sec 9
  • Equal pay is written to include transgender identity, not just male and female.Sec 3

Code 02 · 2020 · Act 35 of 2020

Industrial Relations

Trade Unions · Standing Orders · Industrial Disputes

300
Workers — lay-off / closure permission
14 days
Strike notice, all establishments
51%
Sole negotiating union
  • Mass casual leave by over half the workforce is legally treated as a strike.Sec 2(zk)
  • Re-skilling Fund — 15 days' wages per retrenched worker, toward retraining.Sec 83
  • Fixed-term staff get full parity, including gratuity.Sec 2(o)

Code 03 · 2020 · Act 37 of 2020

OSH & Working Conditions

Factories · Contract Labour · Migrants · 10 more

10+
Workers — registration trigger
1 licence
Single, all-India, electronic
Night OK
Women, with consent & transport
  • Dubbing artists and stunt performers get statutory recognition for the first time.Definitions
  • Appointment letter for every worker, plus a free annual health check-up.Sec 6
  • Reach extends past factories to offices, IT parks, hotels and retail.Sec 1

Code 04 · 2020 · Act 36 of 2020

Social Security

EPF · ESIC · Gratuity · Maternity · 5 more

1st
Law to cover gig & platform workers
1–2%
Aggregator levy on turnover
1 yr
Fixed-term gratuity (was 5)
  • Gig & platform workers covered nationally for the first time, funded by an aggregator levy via Aadhaar / e-Shram.Sec 113–114
  • Rolling eligibility — 90 days with one aggregator, or 120 across several; lapses at 60.SS Rules
  • Contributions can be deferred during an epidemic — written in after COVID.Sec 166

Work Observed

The rules of work are written down. Whether anyone reads them is another matter.

Why a tool, not a PDF

01

Weighted, not counted

The score reflects exposure, not how many boxes you ticked.

02

All four Codes at once

Describe the establishment once; every Code resolves together.

03

Central vs State, labelled

Every duty tagged with the authority that sets it.

Before you ask

Is this legal advice?
No. It orients you fast; your specific establishment still needs qualified counsel. The Navigator is built to make that conversation shorter.
How current is it?
Reflects the Codes in force from 21 November 2025 and the Central Rules notified on 8 May 2026. State rules are still rolling out, so treat every threshold as a prompt to verify against your sphere.
Can I reuse the writing or the tool?
Quote a line with credit and a link back — welcome. Republishing wholesale or rebranding the Navigator is not. See the credit note below.

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